It’s hard to know what to say about this course. There were a lot
of highs, and a lot of lows. But I have to summarize my thoughts, so I’m going
to tackle all the topics I want to hit, in the order they came to mind, mainly,
but also, I hope, in the order where they make the most sense to read.
This course was a fascinating experience. I've never really had a
class quite like this. Online courses are not something I've done a lot of, and
I thought it was definitely different. Being forced to talk on a lot of media I
am not used to was disorienting and difficult. I’d briefly used most of the
media involved in the past, but I had lost interest in all of them. Facebook,
Linkedin, and Twitter are all things I’ve used in the past and since stopped. I
still use Youtube, but I have also stopped using the commenting system on that,
it’s merely a place where I watch videos.
I found it difficult to keep up with the
online interactions, in large part because I find that although I can talk very,
very actively in particular topics, it's quite difficult for me to inject
useful discussion into things I am not actively interested I am not very
informed about. As a result, I was able to write a massive blog post and
respond extremely plentifully when the time came to talk about the video I had
made; it’s something I felt like I could offer real insight on. I had things to
say about it that I don’t have to say about a lot of the other things we
discussed. That was the defining moment of the course for me.
I am involved in a number of online communities, mostly gaming
communities, where I post and communicate extremely readily, talk constantly,
and try to have a serious impact, because I feel like what I say actually has
value, in a way I don’t when talking about, say, how to get a job, or a
revolution in a distant country. While I can comment on these, I feel like I’m
saying obvious, useless things. I have a much easier time talking when I feel
like I’m making an actual difference.
Writing the blog was similarly difficult, I picked the most
interesting thing that happened recently and wrote a quick post about it, but
it always felt like recitation. I didn’t get very far before I ran out of
things to say, and I never felt like anything I said was especially
interesting. I was able to write a very large post about Fraxy, which was fun
to do, but no one really read it or at least commented on it, and so I’m not
sure it was even worth the effort of doing, beyond being an interesting
personal exercise.
The highlight of the course, was, no doubt, when Nadia encouraged
me to link my fraxy video, Night and
Day, on the Facebook page. I had an incredible time keeping up with the
discussion, responding to questions. It was really exciting and I was really
glad I had done it. But everyone lost interest almost immediately. I got quite
a few comments in the first day or so but that was it. No one said anything
after that. So while I’m really glad it happened, it was also disheartening, in
a way. That said, I’m very grateful for those who did show interest. Whenever I
make something, the primary goal is to make something people find exciting. I
think that’s what all creative people want, and I’m certainly no exception.
Still though, I’m glad I took the course. It’s not like anything I’ve
done in the past, and it’s not like anything I’m likely to do in the future. I
think there’s a lot of value in doing new things, so although the experience
wasn’t always good, the high points will stick with me for the rest of the
life. I loved the discussions when they were interesting, I just wish they were
interesting more often.
So, as a final word, I’d simply like to thank you all. It was a
great 3 months. I’m happy for the friends I made, the discussions I had, and
the interesting learning experience. I wish you all a great holiday, and a
great future.
Good night.
